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familiar settings-real
places. But this is not a reason to conclude that the entire story is true.
    The idea that archaeology supports religious claims reminds me of
those "Lost City of Atlantis Found" reports that show up in the news on a regular basis. It seems like every year some guy with scuba gear
and a lot of time on his hands announces that he has discovered
Atlantis. I agree that the discovery of an ancient city built by Poseidon
and inhabited by a race of magical superhuman citizens with advanced
technology would be newsworthy. But these stories always turn out to
be little or nothing to get excited about once the facts come out. However, this does not mean that the ruins of the Atlantis that Plato wrote
about are not out there beneath the waves somewhere, awaiting discovery. No one doubts that the oceans are filled with spectacular
archaeological sites awaiting discovery. I once interviewed Robert
Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic, and he is absolutely giddy over
the archaeological treasures yet to be found. However, if there really
was an Atlantis and if someone really does discover it one day, I am
pretty sure that it will not prove anything other than a natural disaster
caused an ancient city to slide into the sea. It might remind us about
the need to have tsunami early-warning systems but it won't prove any
of the supernatural claims made by the more colorful Atlantis
believers. The confirmed existence of the true Atlantis would not be
enough to prove that Poseidon is a real god. Okay, if an underwater
archaeologist surfaces above the sunken city in possession of a
glowing trident that regenerates amputated limbs, has the cure for
cancer engraved on its shaft, and projects a hologram of Poseidon
introducing himself to the twenty-first century, then, yes, it would be
a good indication that it is time to start building new temples to the
god of the sea. Short of that, however, clay pot shards, marble
columns, and a few beads won't prove anything about gods-although
some believers would surely say they do.

    To be clear, I am not necessarily against biblical archaeology,
Islamic archaeology, Hindu archaeology, Buddhist archaeology,
Mormon archaeology, or anyone else's archaeology. So long as it is
honest and follows the same scientific methods of mainstream
archaeology, dig away, I say. The more trowels in the dirt, the better.
We all benefit from more knowledge about the past. I don't care anything about the beliefs of a particular archaeologist if they can teach me something about our shared past. However, I do think that beliefmotivated archaeological efforts are inherently risky because the goal
of supporting a particular conclusion will always threaten objectivity.
This bias could lead archaeologists to exaggerate some discoveries
and ignore others. The best believers can do is read carefully and
think skeptically when they see reports about discoveries that seem to
support the existence of their god. Is the new find really evidence of
a god, or is it just another artifact left behind by ancient believers?

CHAPTER 4 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND
RECOMMENDED READING
    McCrone, Walter C. Judgment Day for the Shroud of Turin. Amherst, NY:
Prometheus Books, 1999. Everything that shroud-believers need to
know is in this book.

     

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£fapfeS
Only
my
god
can
make
me
feel significant.
    o you ever feel small and insignificant? There is not necessarily anything wrong with having those feelings occasionally. It can be a natural reaction to living on a big world in a very big
universe. Being just one of billions of other people might also make it
a challenge to feel special. The current global population is nearly
seven billion. Over the last fifty thousand years or so, more than a hundred billion humans have lived. That's a lot of people. It's no surprise
that some of us might feel lost in the crowd.
    It gets worse. Consider the fact that you are not even "you," at
least not as much